On February 4, 2008, my husband, Troy and I gave birth to our third child, our miracle, Kinsley Renee Stavinoha. Our beautiful baby girl was born with Turner Syndrome, a genetic chromosome disorder affecting approximately 1 of 2,000 female births.
We received the news of her Turner Syndrome diagnosis during a routine ultrasound when I was 17 weeks pregnant. Only one week later, Kinsley was additionally diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease and would require open heart surgery shortly after birth.
When Kinsley was just four days old she underwent a nine hour coarctation repair of her heart. We felt like our world had been turned upside down. The pain of watching your child fight for their life and being powerless to help is simply indescribable. With our faith in God and the support of our wonderful family and friends, we were able to stay strong for our daughter. She spent 15 days at the CVNICU at Texas Children’s Hospital and received wonderful care from every doctor and nurse around her. After one month spent at Texas Children’s, we were able to take Kinsley home. We know we are truly blessed and have been given the most precious gift from God.
Today, Kinsley is full of life and loves to dance. She continues to give our family hope every time we see her beautiful smile and hear her contagious laugh. We know Kinsley was given to us for a reason, and we thank God every day for answering our countless prayers.
Because of the overwhelming support from so many generous people, the Circles of Hope Foundation has raised over $200,000 for the Turner Syndrome Society. We are truly blessed to know such wonderful people who are helping Troy and I allow for a better life not only for our daughter, but for all the women/families who are touched by Turner Syndrome!
Before Kinsley, we had never heard about Turner Syndrome. Our hope is to promote awareness and help raise money for research of this disorder. There is so much that doctors, and we as individuals, need to learn about Turner Syndrome. Due to our experience, we decided to create the Circles of Hope Foundation. Please join us in our quest for creating awareness, promoting research and providing love and support to the many lives touched by TS.
“The most important things parents can do for their children (and themselves) are to accept and love them just as they are, recognize their strengths and potential and support them in developing independence and a strong sense of self.”